New research reveals that your height and weight may affect your success

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As if gender wasn't a shallow-enough reason for the persistent wage gap, a new study found that height and weight have been added to the mix, too. More specifically, if you're a short male or an overweight female, then you can bet that you earn less than your taller, thinner colleagues. Here's what you need to know.

Looks like a certain smaller-statured male demographic will be joining women (especially overweight women) in the fight for pay equity very soon. Based on a recent UK study, vertically-challenged men are also getting the short end of he stick (pun intended) when it comes to pay discrimination.

The Study and Method t ology

The study was conducted on roughly 120,000 men and women between 37 to 73 years of age who had genetic data stored in the UK Biobank's database. Data for the study were collected through questionnaires and interviews conducted from 2006 to 2010, along with specimen samples (e.g. urine, blood, and saliva) from the participants.

The method used to gather said findings is referred to as Mendelian randomization, "a method of using measured variation in genes of known function to examine the causal effect of a modifiable exposure on disease in non-experimental studies (Wikipedia)." The study examined 400 variants that genetically affect height and 70 variants that affect body mass index (BMI) then analyzed how those variants connected to five key socioeconomic factors, like education, employment status, occupation, income, and more.

In the end, the study concluded (with great conviction) that your chances of career success are far greater if you're a tall man or a skinny female.

"For each two and a half inches of genetically determined extra height, a man was 12 percent more likely to work in a high-status job and earned an average $1,611 more a year," reports The New York Times. As for women, "a 4.6-point increase in BMI resulted in $4,200 less in annual income." Say what?

What You Need to Know

As shocking as the findings may be, the bigger issue here isn't about a person's height or weight (or any other physical attribute, for that matter), but rather the unconscious bias that persists in our society and also influences our decisions and behavior in our everyday lives. Simply being more aware of unconscious bias as well as other issues involving workplace inequality is enough to spark a bit of change in the right direction. The reality is: we're all part of the problem, but we can also be part of the solution. Remember, acceptance is the first step.

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